Over Six hours of avoidable traffic; gross indiscipline

“Sikaman, a land where everything comes to halt when it rains”…..I had just posted this on my Facebook status around 3:13 pm Friday just when I got to The Free Zones Enclave along the Kpone road leading to Community 25; little did I know that for the next 6 hours I would be trapped in an avoidable traffic caused by gross indiscipline and recklessness.

I had spoken with my friend Clara who was stuck in traffic around the same time so she gave me an idea of what to expect but apparently, that wasn’t the full reality on the ground.

Since I was in a rush to pick my children from school and I was stuck in the traffic, the only option was to make calls; many of which didn’t go through, till I was able to reach one parent who thanks to God, was almost at the school at the time.

She gladly picked up my children around and took them home as I continued my sojourn home.
With the children sorted, I was now left with the daunting task of trying to get home but no, I was stuck! On both sides and all of a sudden, I had an urge to pee….

At first I thought there’s been an accident along the road hence the huge magnitude of traffic that I was seeing on the Aflao bound section of the road, but there was nothing of that sort; as a matter of fact human behaviour and total disregard for common sense trapped us in an “avoidable traffic” for hours on end.

I tried taking my mind of the fact that my bladder was likely to burst anytime soon as the vehicles moved at a snail pace. We had now gotten to the golf course along the road when I spotted two policemen and I thought oh finally some sanity would prevail- but I was wrong.

They were actually creating a diversion so their vehicle could pass through to Tema, on our side of the road! And no one could say anything to them. From where I was stuck, I saw them redirecting those on the shoulders to move away so they could pass, I just shook my head in dismay.

For a two lane road that suddenly turned four, I wondered how on earth we were all going to move out of that traffic, and I thought it was the indiscipline of the trotro drivers till I saw private vehicles also moving from the main road to the shoulders thereby creating total chaos as we got to Kpone barrier.

I was shocked, upset, hungry and pressed to look for a bathroom and as I watched the men come out of their cars, open their flaps and released those “stressed fluids” away I started looking for a bottle or something to help me do same.

At Kpone barrier, there was a policeman but his presence was even causing more traffic as people were actually driving from the opposite direction into the main road and he just looked on.

It was at this point that I realized that the bridge in front of the Belaqua factory had overflown and perhaps was a factor to why my good self and others had to hold our urine for several hours with no end in sight.

I remember calling to check on the children and was told they were fine, I had some peace of mind and forgot about the need to tinkle a bit.

As we managed to the 25 junction, eiii! Come and see foolishness, indiscipline and recklessness combine forces to make a show! So called big men in V8s who were allergic to traffic just zoomed through with their sirens while ambulances with dead bodies also followed, trotro drivers who were in a hurry to escort the bodies also followed and the private cars followed, this created a fifth lane on the Tema bound section of the road. And my side was not moving….

I saw people walking home because no car was even coming to pick them up. Mothers with babies on the backs were carrying their load and trekking through the rain with the hope that a vehicle would come along.

What pissed me off was one driver who used the shoulders and tried breaking my side mirror when I refused to allow him enter my side of the road, he said ” as for you women, who do you think you are, is the road for you? My friend give me way!” He demanded n twi. Oh I gladly refused and left him to sulk and curse away.

Few meters ahead, no car was moving anymore so two military men alighted from their car to maintain some order. Within minutes we were moving and I must applaud them. It continued till we got to Devtraco junction and that was another jungle! Drivers on opposite directions trying to enter the main road and not allowing those of us moving towards Aflao to go.

A lady driver ahead of me got down to drive some sense in them and we got the chance to move..

I finally got to pick my children around 8:40pm and the first thing Faustina said to me upon my arrival was “you look stressed”. I was more than stressed….

I just had to look for a bathroom to release the stress away….
(Faustina, I cannot thank you enough, God bless you abundantly).

To Gifty, God bless you abundantly for checking up, I am grateful.

So on this Friday, June 16 2017, I set off from Accra at 1pm and got home at 9:40pm. In my opinion, whatever led to this traffic could have been avoided if we all stayed in our lanes .

The police MTTD will need to be more robust if we really want to nip road indiscipline in the bud.
For the trotro drivers I think they must be whipped (real lashes) in line if all efforts fail to get them to behave.

After being in traffic for over 6 hours on a route that one hardly spends 30 minutes on a normal day all because of driver indiscipline, I got home to a flooded house! Isn’t it amazing?

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